Abigail Adams to Elizabeth Cranch

No:4

[dateline] Auteuil, January 3, 1785

[salute] My dear Betsy

I am determined not to neglect my pen for so long an interval as I did before your
last Letters; for then I always go to it with reluctance. Mr. Appleton came here this
Day week; from London, and as he thinks he shall return before Captain Young sails,
I am induced to proceed to the fulfilment of my promise,1 and attempt a Description of the French Theater. I have from time, to time, survey'd
it with as much accuracy as I am capable of, that I might be able to render my account
intelligible. If I fail in architecture, your lively imagination must supply my deficiency.

This superb Building, the French Theater, is situated near the Palace of Luxembourgh,
and was Built by Messrs. De Wailly and Peyre the ablest Architects of the King.2 This Monument is open on every side, and is in the form of a parallelogram (for this
figure see the Preceptor,3 plate 1st in Geometry, Figure 9, B.D.). This is surrounded with porticos which form
galleries, by which means you go up and come down under cover. The front, where you
first enter, is simple but noble, and announces its Majesty by a perystyle, or a circular
range of pillars jutting out, Decorated with Eight collumns in the Doric order, you
ascend to it by nine large stone stairs. The back is ornamented with partitions, and
the whole is covered by an Attic, which term signifies having the Roof concealed,
and is a peculiar kind of base, used sometimes in the Ionic and Doric orders. Under
this porch there are three doors, each of which introduce you into a Hall, decorated
with collums in the Tuscan order (for this order see the Preceptor). These sustain
an arched roof. In front of the middle Door; and at the bottom of the Hall, there
is a marble statue of Voltaire. The doors which open upon both sides of this statue,
serve as an entrance into a large entry, which was designd as a safe retreat in case
of fire. Accordingly it communicates with the highest Galleries as well as the pit,
the orchestra and the stairs of all the Boxes. In this entry you are presented with
two great flight of stairs opposite each other, which conduct you equally to the first
stage or two galleries in Collonade, a series of pillars disposed in a circle, which
communicate with the entry of the first Boxes, and through them into the great public
retiring room. This Room is

decorated in the doric order of a new invention. It represents a Hall in the Italian
form square at the bottom and octagon (which is a plain figure consisting of Eight
equal sides and angles), at the first entablature (that is at the first frieze and
cornice of the pillars,) and circular at the top which supports the cupola, which
signifies a dome, the hemispherical summit of a building. This Hall is concecrated
to the memory of the great Men, who have renderd the French Theater illustrious; accordingly
you find their Marble Busts placed round it. Moliere, as the Father of commedy, has
his seat over the Chimny, and upon the right hand is Piron and Voltaire, Racine and
Regnard, upon the left Crebillon, Nericault Destouches, Pierre Corneille, Dufresny.4 Over the Doors are the medallions of Plautus, Terence, Sophocle, and Euripides. This
hall is enlightned by six large Lustures, each of which holds 50 lights, they are
of great service to the entry which communicates with it. To compare great things
with small, imagine yourself in the gallery of the cupola of Dr. Coopers meeting House,
and this cupola under the covering which I have described. It has as many small doors
just large enough for one person to enter at a time: as there are boxes within, open
one of them, and it introduces you into the first Boxes of the great Theater. Look
above you and you will see 3 galleries divided into Boxes in the same manner as the
first. Look below you, and you will see what is called the Amphitheater, in which
are two rows of benches, advanced sufficently forward to give the spectators an equal
chance of seeing. You must never loose sight of the perfect circular figure of the
House and that taking off a quarter part of your circle for the Theater, you leave
the other three quarters, for the spectators who all necessarily face the theater;
below the Amphitheater, is the pit upon the first floor; and here are rows of benches,
that every person may sit down; between the pit and the theater; is the orchestra.
The Musisians when sitting, have their heads just even with the floor of the Theater.
The inside of the Boxes are coverd with green velvet, and cushions of the same. The
first Boxes will hold six persons, but 4 are sufficient for comfort. The front of
the Boxes, which resembles the Gallery of a meeting house, is ornamented with Drapery,
and the second galleries, which are advanced a little forward of the first, are adornd
with garlands of flowers, and fruits in Relievo, which you know is the seeming prominence
of a figure in sculpture. Above the uppermost Boxes are 12 bendings in the vault,
which is supported by 12 pilasters. The 12 signs of the Zodiac ornament these arches,
which are all in arabesk sculpture. Before the scene are four pillars adorned, with
{ 39 } Caryatides, as large as life. This is an order of columns under the representation
of women, cloathed in long robes and serving to support entablatures; for a figure
of this kind, look in the Preceptor to the Corinthian order, and for the arabesk which
adorns the vault, look to the composite order against the term foliages, a a. Over
the top of the stage is the Lyre of Apollo, supported by Melpomene, who represents
the tragick Muse, and holds a dagger in her hand, and Thalia, the Comick Muse, who
has a mask in hers. These figures are in sculpture and large as life. The inside of
this Theater is painted a sky blue, and the ornaments are all white. From the middle
of this vault hangs a prodigious Lustre, containing I imagine two hundred lights.5 There is over this Lustre in the arch of the Ceilling, a circle, prehaps 40 foot
in circumference which is inlaid with some shining metal and reflects back the lights
in such a manner that I have easily read the finest print as I set in the Box. The
floor of the stage is lighted by two rows of lamps which are placed upon it just before
the orchestra; and are so constructed as to be drawn below it, whenever the part acted
requires that it should be night. Fancy, my dear Betsy this house filled with 2000
well drest gentlemen and Ladies! The house is large enough to hold double the number.
Suppose some tragedy to be represented which requires the grandest scenery, and the
most superb habits of kings and Queens, the parts well performed; and the passions
all excited, until you imagine yourself living at the very period; and witnessing
what you see represented, or, in the Words of Pope,

Can you form to yourself a higher repast, or one more agreeable to your taste? To
my dictionary and the Preceptor I am indebted for the explanation of the terms of
Architecture; and, like many other preceptors; whilst I have endeavourd to instruct,
I have found my own knowledge increased, for I should never have comprehended half
the Beauties of this Theater, if I had not attempted a description of them to you.

Since I began this Letter, yours of November 6 reached me.7 You was at Germantown assisting a worthy family whose various and complicated distresses
would furnish sufficient materials for a tragick muse. The Book of fate is wisely
closed from the prying Eye of man, or “who could suffer Being here below.” My affectionate
regards to them. My paper calls upon me to close, and to assure you, whilst I have
sufficient space of the affection of your Aunt,

3. Robert Dodsley, The Preceptor; containing a general course of education . . ., 2 vols., London, 1748, with numerous later editions. A copy of the 1764 edn.
is in JA's library at MB (Catalogue of JA's Library); a copy of the 1783 edn. is in MQA.

5. Starting with the second paragraph until this point, this highly detailed description
of the French Theater is translated verbatim from Luc Vincent Thiéry, Almanach du voyageur à Paris, Paris, 1783, pp. 584–588. A copy of the 1784 edn. is in JA's library (Catalogue of JA's Library).

6. “Live o'er each scene, and be what they behold,” line 4 of the “Prologue to Mr. Addison's
Cato.”